Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Sorry that I haven't written awhile. School can be pretty brutal, and this weekend I had to fly to Dallas to help my cousin pack (she just moved to Amsterdam yetserday).Anyway: I thought I'd quickly do my "top five" for a combined July/August list.

Monday, August 20, 2007

Favorite MomentsSince my camra broke (*tear*) I don't have any pictures to show....So I'll just type it all out.+When I got to school and got parked and everything: I saw my two best friends and we practically ran to meet and hug each other, and nearly knock each other over. It was a totally Gilmore Girl moment.+I met a new girl (sophomore) who I have Speech with, who formerly had homeschooling. I got to show her around--introduce her to all my cool people and I found out that she's read the Twilight Series! Although she's team Edward and I'm not sure how I feel about that....Just kiddin'. It was nice playing the big senior girl who knew how to get the lockers open....+In my first class of the day, Speech, all the seniors had to make an impromptu speech talking on a subject picked randomly from a pile. Guess what I got? Yes that's right, people. Philosophy. I know zip about philosophy. As far as I know, when I make my breakfast in the morning, philosophy is that yellow stuff that I spread on my toast... So I asked my new teacher if I could pick a new topic and she said, "No. You can talk about how you became a Christian. Chrsitianity is full of philosophies....." Well, Thanks for that Mrs. Feola. I really don't like talking about that in front of people I don't know...It was a pretty personal experience for me. So I summarized and mumbled something unintelligable and the teacher decided my minute and a half was up forty five seconds early.+I found out I have Portfolio this year--which is a pretty sweet class. All year long we work with all different types of mediums (to your choice--I even heard the phrase "candle-making" in the mediums that the teacher listed). But they all have to be centered around a theme or story of your choosing. I have a couple of mind--such as "Love Throughout the Ages" and "Coffee and Books". But I was also thinking of recreating the story of The Goose Girl. Not the book, the folktale. I'm thinking that if I do this--I'll use fabrics, paint, and various textures to make the story.+In Math Models class, my only, thank goodness, math class this year, a kid behind me asked the teacher "Is this going to be beneficial or teach us anything we need to know at all?" and the teacher answered "No." (My kind of math class! No geometry or algebra here!)+My last class of the day--Spanish 3--the teacher couldn't be there. So our principle came and talked to us instead. One guy asked about our new teacher, "What does she look like?"And the principle answered, "Um, a woman" *Giggles*.Updates+If you haven't checked my sidebar thingy in awhile, you should. There's a new button on there called "goodreads" it links to a site where I'm keeping track of my book reviews, and the books that I'm reading. Check it out!

Saturday, August 18, 2007

School, school, school....brings back a certain...nostalgia. *Sniff*It just dawned on me today that this is my last year of high school when my manager (I work at a bookstore: it figures) asked me if I had already gotten my senior pictures made so that I could put them on the invitations to my graduation at the end of the year....and if not, she'd be happy to recommend a few photographers.My mouth just hung open."What?" I finally asked when I came back to reality."YOU HAVEN"T GOTTEN YOUR SENIOR PICTURES TAKEN YET?????""I...um, um.....I....?" *Mumbles unintelligably*"Sooks, you really gotta get that done. And you need to go to a proffesional photogographing place, too...so that you can get some pictures of you in the graduation robes they have on hand--to place in your invitation card. Oh, and have 'Class of 2008' Printed on your picture""Uh.....""...And you've got to get more than one session, too! So you can have more to choose from...""But I thought, I thought.....I didn't know there was this much more to it!""Being a senior? Yes, it's much more than senior retreat and fundraising and having a lighter homework load. Because trust me, you'll be on your toes all year.""My toes?" *Looks down at toes in cute black ballerina slippers*"Yes, Sookie, your toes.""But, but, but....""No buts, Sookie. You need to get those pictures done soon. And restack all those books that toddler has thrown on the floor. And ask if that lady over there with the sunglasses who looks mysteriously like J.K. Rowling needs any help."Okay, so that last part was made up a bit...Well, not the restacking part. Heath really has no respect for the wellbeing of the books. But he is only a toddler....I *suppose* I should forgive him for nearly tearing up the paperbacks section....No J.K. Rowling sightings yet--but I'll keep on the lookout just in case she ever comes to Texas.Anyway--back to being a senior and all that. Man I have to get cracking.....There are pictures to take, smelly robes to buy, invitations to fill out, yearbooks to sign, applications to fill out....Oh the horror! The horror! And school hasn't even started yet.

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

***Another Edit***Yay! It turned back to a lion! Yayness! Please please please don't take the test that says "Is My Daemon a Match?" Because I think that's why it changes..... And I REALLY love lions. Half an hour ago it was a hyenna....I really can't stand hyennas....I hope I don't laugh like one....***Edit****WHY HAS IT CHANGED TO A DOG????? WHY!!!!!

Oooh! I knew mine would be a lion!

I'm a fan of all things lion. You name it: Aslan, Gryffindor, The Lion King, anything to do with lions....

(By the way, ignore the "Molly", when I tried to take the quiz with the name Sookie I got a monkey! I really don't like monkeys....)

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

I'm still waiting for The Amber Spyglass (I want to review the whole series as a set). So while I'm waiting, I'm also, you guessed it, reading another book.Flora Segunda by Y. S. Wilce.

It's very amusing so far, but what really did the trick was the author's website: http://yswilce.com/. Even if you haven't read the book yet, it's still pretty hilarious. Especially the Alta Califa, which is a newspaper of utter nonsense. I especially like the quote at the beginning: "Truth is a virtue; lying, an art" (although that may be a quote by some literary genious like Longfellow, I have yet to know).Anyway, this is my last week before school. So I'm also busy reading the required books :Death of a Salesman, The Great Gatsby, and Wuthering Heights.And, of course, I'm still waiting for that fickle copy of The Amber Spyglass (it seems whenever I don't want it--it's out there on display at the library, but whenever I do--it's rented out by a slow reader or someone who doesn't like returning library books...)

Sunday, August 12, 2007

As Seattle is ravaged by a string of mysterious killings and a malicious vampire continues her quest for revenge, Bella once again finds herself surrounded by danger. In the midst of it all, she is forced to choose between her love for Edward and her friendship with Jacob -- knowing that her decision has the potential to ignite the ageless struggle between vampire and werewolf. With her graduation quickly approaching, Bella has one more decision to make: life or death. But which is which?

Review

Okay, here I go. I will try my best not to spoil anything for those of you who haven’t been able to read it yet.

Eclipse was a book like non other I’ve read before. I mean, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was practically edge-of-your-seat tension all the way through. But Eclipse was an altogether different kind of experience.

I love the Twilight World. I love the characters—even the least likely to be loved, such as the Volturi. Stephenie Meyer is a brilliant author, and this is why: she makes you fall in love and care about her characters. And in Eclipse, when the characters are ill at ease with each other, it makes you squirm. The taste and texture of the book—Eclipse—was a bit the same as the other three. Deep, sensuous, flowing, and always blood red—like wine. But the plot was less spread out than the other three. It was jam packed with action, new discoveries, and danger. There wasn’t a moment’s rest for Bella—no reprieve for the reader, either. That’s why this book gave me a migraine—serious! Every time I picked it up I had to take some Advil! But that didn’t make me unlove Eclipse. In fact, I liked it even more than I thought I would. It was at times heartbreaking, at others memorable and light. At others violent and raging.

But most of all it was surprising.

It was surprising because I found out that I really did like Edward. After the second book—I never thought I’d love any character more than Jacob.

And while I still don’t love Edward that much—I like him better than I did in the previous two. He really is a good guy.I agree with Anidori-Isilee that he became a much more realistic character in Eclipse than in the other ones.

Jacob, on the other hand, became irritable in this book. Though underneath it all—he’s got the best spirit and personality I think of all the other characters. That’s why the ending broke my heart.

But anyway: what was also surprising is that we learn more of Rosalie and Jasper’s histories. These are the two Cullens that Stephenie seems to have just shoved to the side for Edward and the rest. And I’m really glad we got to see a bit more of them. As for the very controversial scene where Bella tries to, er.....seduce Edward, I think it was really unnecessary. I think that Stephenie might have only written it in because of the demands of fans who....let’s say, feel the need for Bella and Edward’s relationship to take that turn. Which is utterly stupid if you ask me. Bella and Edward may be mature in some things, but they are innocent when it comes to....yeah. And as a Christian myself, I don’t really want to read about it. And besides—it really comes to nothing at the end. So we could have spared that scene. Well...except for the end and everything. The proposal was good...It’s just, yeah.....We didn’t need that.

I was also disappointed that Bella never really mulled over the choice she had to make in the end. I mean, it’s the most important choice of her life! And it’s only after we find out that Bella and Jacob are meant to be together. As Jacob says, it would have been natural. Had not Edward gone to Biology class on that fateful day....

Anyway, I’m waiting to see what Breaking Dawn bring. And in the mean time—I really encourage people to read Eclipse twice. You really get so much more out of it your second time in......

Saturday, August 11, 2007

Thursday, August 9, 2007

Alright, I'm done reading Eclipse the first time around. I'm planning on reading it again. So reveiw forthcoming. But I wanted to do this first. It's from Farm Girl.

1. If I were a planet, I would be: a falling star; true, it's not a planet, but heck meteors are a lot more interesting than Jupiter.

2. If I were a month, I would be: October; Brisk but not freezing, trees changing colors, I equate the smell of October to than of cinnamon sugar, and Halloween....Free candy+ Costumes= lots of♥

3. If I were a day of the week, I would be: Friday, it's just the best day of the school week, isn't it? Because you've got the weekend to look forward to...

4. If I were a time of day, I would be: midnight; I'm a night owl. I operate best at night and worst in the morning...

5. If I were a sea animal, I would be: a mermaid--I would SO not want to be a fish or anything....

6. If I were a direction, I would be: East. Because I've always wanted to visit East Europe.

7. If I were a piece of furniture, I would be: a divan--you know, one of those red, plush couch/bed things that drama queens faint onto ;o)

8. If I were a sin, I would be: selfishness or maybe anger

9. If I were a historical figure, I would be: Jane Austen, she is one of the greatest authors of her time. She was quirky, her writing at times hilarious (at times heartbreaking), and her stories inspired nearly every romantic comedy today. Plus--she was perceptive, and had the skill to see people for what they were.

10. If I were a liquid, I would be: apple cider.

11. If I were a stone, I would be: emerald; I'm Irish.

12. If I were a tree, I would be: oak.

13. If I were a bird, I would be: a red cardinal.

14. If I were a tool, I would be: the toolbox...? Lol, I have no idea what I'd be...

15. If I were a flower/plant, I would be: a lily

16. If I were a kind of weather, I would be: a sunny day with a brisk wind and slightly chilled air.

18. If I were an animal, I would be: a red fox

19. If I were a color or shade, I would be:berry red

20. If I were an emotion, I would be: peacefulness...a lot of people say I'm easy to be with because I "exude calm" (?????)

21. If I were a vegetable, I would be: a sweet potato...the only vegetable I really like (and only with brown sugar and marshmallows...Or deep fried and made in to crispy fries)

22. If I were a sound, I would be: the sound of a singing bird

23. If I were an element, I would be: water

24. If I were a vehicle, I would be: a Fiot Spider.

25. If I were a song, I would be: one of Norah Jone's songs

26. If I were a movie, I would be directed by: M. Night Shayamalan

27. If I were a book, I would be written by: myself! I love to write!

28. If I were a food, I would be: Sweet Potato fries

29. If I were a place, I would be: Transylvania, Romania. It's so pretty there! The sunflowers, fields of them, are absolutely gorgeous....

30. If I were a material, I would be: tartan plaid; interesting, texturized, and soft and warm to keep out the cold.

31. If I were a taste, I would be: hot, sweet, and bitter hot chocolate with a liberal dose of coffee and a lot of marshmallows and cinnamon

32. If I were a scent, I would be: cinnamon sugar

33. If I were a word, I would be: dreamy

34. If I were a body part, I would be: eyes; they are perceptive and have a language all their own...

35. If I were a facial expression, I would be: a cross-eyed one with a tongue sticking out....a little bit rebellious and silly at the same time

36. If I were a subject in school, I would be: English....my favorite subject...

37. If I were a cartoon character, I would be: The Pink Panther--he's my favorite!

38. If I were a shape, I would be: a heart

If anyone one wants to do this--tell me! It's a lot of fun...Toodles,Sookie

I will be attending this event tonight with my black dress and gloves, and a camera strapped to my hand. Of course I'll give you the whole enchilada, I usually do, along with some pictures of me and one of my best friends Mari going to our first prom ever at a bookstore.

"Let's look at it this way," Mari said to me when we decided we would go, "You don't go to a prom at Barnes and Nobles everyday now do you?"

There is supposed to be games, prizes, a reading of the second chapter of Eclipse, and, of course, the release of the book itself. I can't wait!

See you on the other side!

-Sookie.

Ps. Is anyone going to the Prom as one of the characters? I thought about it, but decided against going as Victoria or Bella (Victoria would work with my hair--but I have the perfect dress for Bella). If anyone has pictures I want to see them! I'll post my pictures as soon as I can...

Monday, August 6, 2007

I haven't been to Shannon Hale's blog for ages, but I found something there that I could readily agree with. Currently I'm in the process of writing a novel (for those of you who read my project "The Lizard King" I've finished with it--it became a rather long short story; I'm happy with its length and the way things turned out--so I probably won't write anymore lizard-y-ness), and it feels like (to Luna Lovegood-ize it) being attacked by nargles and wrackspurts every five minutes. One minute it feels fun and wonderful, and the next it feels like I'm writing it all wrong.But anyway, here's what I found:

When you read a book, it seems obvious that this had to happen in order forthis to happen, or that character had to be a certain way or the writing stylehad to be thus in order for the story to work. But when you're writing it fromscratch...well, the only way for me to describe it is through metaphor. It'slike saying to someone, "You know how to scrabble eggs, make chocolate chipcookies, and chili. So obviously you know how to cook. Now I want you to makechicken pompeii. It should taste like this. There's no recipe, and I can't tellyou what's in it or even show you a picture of what it'll look like when it'sdone, but you'll find what you need at the grocery store. Also, there are livealligators at the grocery store. Good luck!"

I decided to post this because it's from my absolute favorite artist: Josh Groban. His songs are encouraging, usually about love, and some of them are really imaginative, great for writing. Plus, he usually sings in a foreign language which is so cool! This song is in English, but it's one of my favorites. It was the first song he sang at his concert back in March that I got to go see. He was so awesome! Even though we had like nosebleeds seats at the AT&T center downtown (and they are SO high up. You can even touch the ceiling!). Anyway, this is the music video for "You are Loved (Don't give up)".Toodles,Sookie

Friday, August 3, 2007

From Meme GirlsFavorite Teen Movie of All Time:I'd have to say 10 Things I Hate About YouFavorite Classic Teen Movie:Hmmm.....define classic.Favorite 80s Teen Movie:It's too hard to choose between Pretty in Pink and Sixteen Candles... Oh! If you must: then Pretty in Pink, because I love Ducky.Favorite 90s Teen Movie: Erm....I repeat 10 Things I Hate About YouFavorite Teen Movie within the last five years: Bend it Like Beckam, I'll admit, I'm not a sports girl, but I loved this movie.Favorite Romance in a Teen Movie: The romance between Derek and Sara in Save the Last DanceFavorite Character in a Teen Movie:Katerina StratfordFavorite Kiss in a Teen Movie:Well, if you must....Any kiss between Tristan and Isolde in Tristan and IsoldeFavorite Quote from a Teen Movie:"Am I that transparent? I want you, I need you, Oh baby, oh baby."-Katarina Stratford (she's saying this sarcasticallyFavorite Teen Movie Actor: Jon CryerFavorite Teen Movie Actress:Julia Stiles

So what do you think about my new layout? It's a bit on the serious side....But I'll probably get bored with it soon and change it :-). Though I like it now. It's kind of autumn-y, and I love autumn, so I'm pretty excited for summer to be over (normally it would be as hot as the tenth circle of hell outside, this is Texas, after all, but this summer we've had kind of a freak-rain torrent all season long, which keeps the temp cool and the skies gray--but normally you can see why I'd love autumn).-SookiePs. I found some Eclipse spoilers (Yes, yes I know, I know, I shouldn't ruin the book for myself...I should wait to read it in all its glory.....etc. I just couldn't, it was the same way with New Moon). Well, these "spoilers" didn't really spoil much, so I won't either. Apparently it's one of the best of the series, and Bella learns a little bit more about how vampirism would effect her if she were ever to change, and we do see more of Jacob.....yeah, that's pretty much it.Toodles.(love saying that word)

Thursday, August 2, 2007

I decided to do a post on one of my favorite type of novels: fictional diaries.

There are so many books and series in this format that deserve credit and haven't gotten it. Besides--writing in diary format is one of the hardest ways to write. You can only see what the character sees--if the character has blinders on, then so do you. AND you have to give them a distinct, flawed voice. So much different than 3rd person, or even 1st person.

So here are some of my favorite diary-novels.

The Royal Diaries SeriesThese books straddle the children's and YA genres since the princesses go from being like 11-15, around those ages. There are so many of them now--but a few of my favorites are Cleopatra, Elizabeth I, Isabel of Spain, Eleanor of Aquataine, and Anastacia, among others....

Dear America: A Coal Miner's BrideThere are many of these Dear America books also, but the only one I've read remains one of my favorite books of all time.

Anetka's story of how she was torn from her homeland and grandmother at age thirteen (this was in the 1800's of course) because her father has "sold her" into marriage to a Coal Miner in America.

Anetka's voice is real and her wounds are painful, but we also get a happy ending and a very non-boring book.

This is one of my "comfort books", I think.

The Princess Diaries Series

by Meg Cabot

These are some of my favorite books! There's going to be nine full novels, with many little novelettes in between.

I love how real Princess Mia is, and I just love the situation: just imagine being told by your father that he's a prince and you are the sole heiress to his country! It's so much fun.

And last...but certainly not least:

Book of a Thousand Days

by Shannon Hale

I haven't read this one yet, but I know I will already love it! It's gotten some great press by those who were lucky enough to get an ARC (*pouts*).

It comes out this September and I'm so excited, I can't wait!

But for right now...I think I'll focus on scoping out all the bookestores in the vicinity for an early bird copy of Eclipse

About Me

My favorite thing in the world is to read a book. I also enjoy writing, graphic design, and all media and forms of art. I'm also addicted to starbucks coffee (well, who isn't) and have my heart set on traveling the world.